Afternoon Kisses
by Lily Gem
Summary: Merry and Pippin, as they wake up one afternoon and attempt to be alone together. Fluff. Slash. One-shot.


A/n - Due to the enormous lack of good Merry/Pippin slash fanfics on this site (meaning Fanfiction.net), I decided to write one of my own. The story itself is a short PWP fluff fic. Also, I've yet to find a good beta, so any mistakes still left in this are my own.  
  
A/n 2 - This is set towards the end of RotK, before Frodo leaves for the Grey Havens, and after Saruman is killed and such. So, Merry and Pippin are living together in Crickhollow.  
  
Pairing - Merry/Pippin. In other words, this is slash. Slash, for those of you who don't know, is a subgenre of fanfiction in which two people of the same sex have a relationship. That's putting it simply. Got it? Good. If you don't like slash, stop reading now.  
  
Archiving - Oh, that would be lovely. Send an email my way.  
  
Disclaimer - I don't own any stuff or characters that Tolkien made, all right? The Tolkien estate does. I'm just here to manipulate them to my liking.  
  
*****  
  
Merry Brandybuck awoke to find himself in his bed, surrounded by pillows and blankets that had been scattered about at some points during the night. Sun was shining into the room through open windows, and a soft breeze had left the curtains ruffled. Merry yawned, gingerly rubbing his eyes, and then cocked an eyebrow at the ceiling for a moment. He then sat up, finding also that Pippin was sprawled out next to him, still asleep. Merry smiled slightly, as memories of the events of the previous night sprung up in his mind. He lay back down and rolled over onto his side, simply watching Pippin sleep.  
  
And Pippin certainly could sleep. For a long time, too. Though he looked terribly cute - even innocent - while he slept, Merry eventually grew bored. He brushed his lips against Pippin's forehead, hoping the small action might wake him up. It didn't, of course.  
  
He gently kissed the other Hobbit's eyelids, then pulled back and stared at him. At the sensation, Pippin stirred. He opened one eye, observing Merry, then buried his face in his pillow, unable to hide the fact that he was smiling. "Go to sleep, Merry," came his muffled murmur. In a matter of seconds, he was deep in slumber once again.  
  
Merry smirked, leaning over and kissing Pippin's shoulder gently. The corners of Pippin's lips twitched upward, but he stayed peacefully asleep. Merry blinked down at the quiescent figure, and then shrugged. He considered letting Pippin rest, and he even considered going back to sleep, himself; but judging by the position of the sun, it was already past noon, and he thought that the both of them should already be awake.  
  
The Brandybuck paused as something began to dig at the back of his mind: some small thing that he was apparently forgetting. Figuring it was utterly unimportant, he stopped worrying about it, and went back to trying to awaken his sleeping companion.  
  
"Oi, Pip, wake up!" he exclaimed, after a few more minutes. Pippin just lay there, still twitching every now and then, obviously dreaming. Merry sighed, with a hint of exasperation, and pulled Pippin into a sitting position. "Peregrin, wake up," he murmured, lips pressed against the younger hobbit's ear, but there was still no sign of Pippin waking up. Merry frowned, sighed, and shrugged, all in one fluid motion.  
  
He kissed Pippin's forehead, then both of his cheeks, then his lips, then his jawbone....  
  
Pippin awoke with a start.  
  
"Morning, Merry," he chimed, smiling.  
  
"Morning, Pip," Merry replied. "You're rather hard to wake up, you know--"  
  
Pippin shrugged. "I was having quite a good dream, just then, and may I go back to sleep?"  
  
"No."  
  
Pippin tilted his head slightly, as if thinking, and then suddenly pounced upon Merry, smashing his own lips against those of his companion. Merry's eyes widened in slight surprise, but he quickly came to his senses, rolling over and pinning Pippin down without breaking the kiss. Pippin entangled his fingers in Merry's curls, pulling his head closer. About a minute later, the two separated, both breathing heavily. Pippin immediately began unbuttoning Merry's nightshirt.  
  
Moments later, just as the two had engaged in another fierce kiss, there was a knock at the front door of their hobbit hole. Merry pulled away slowly, looking at Pippin.  
  
"Who could that be?" he asked, mostly thinking aloud.  
  
"I'm sure they'll go away," Pippin replied quickly, pulling Merry back down towards him. Merry grinned slyly, and kissed Pippin once more, only to be interrupted by another knock at the door, louder this time.  
  
Merry frowned. "I'll get it, then," he stated, crawling to the edge of the bed and stumbling across the room, fumbling to fasten the buttons of his nightshirt. He paused by the door and picked up his trousers, which had apparently been flung all the way across the room at some point during the night.  
  
Fully dressed, Merry made his way down the hall, and eventually arrived at the front door, just as the unknown person behind it began another series of light taps. Merry jerked the door open and revealed Frodo, who had his fist raised in mid-knock.  
  
Slightly taken aback by his cousin visiting out of the blue, Merry blinked, and then smiled. "Frodo! What brings you to Crickhollow today?" he asked, keeping a polite air, as he was determined not to let Frodo know what he'd rather be doing.  
  
Frodo returned his cousin's smile, and chuckled. "Merry, I suppose you've forgotten, then? You and Pippin were supposed to meet Sam and me halfway to Hobbiton, and then we were to go and have tea."  
  
That was what he had forgotten earlier, Merry realized with a sigh. "Oh, Frodo, I'm sorry, Pip and I overslept, and--"  
  
"Good morning, Frodo!" Pippin chirped happily as he appeared next to Merry in the doorway. He was now dressed in casual trousers and a loose-fitting shirt, but his curls were still tousled, showing that he had just gotten out of bed. He paused, blinking in the sunlight as he leaned against Merry's side. ".Or rather, good afternoon."  
  
Frodo, still smiling, nodded at Pip. "Afternoon, Pippin."  
  
Frodo watched with amusement as Merry glanced over at the younger hobbit, asking quietly if he had remembered that they were supposed to meet Frodo and Sam. Pippin shook his head mutely, and then met Frodo's eyes as an innocent smile graced his features.  
  
Presently, Samwise walked briskly around the corner of the path, leading a dapple grey pony behind him. He smiled as he saw Frodo, and then waved at Pippin and Merry. "Frodo, are Mister Merry and Mister Pippin coming back to Bag End with us?" As Frodo looked like he was about to say no, Pippin quickly interrupted him.  
  
"Of course we are, Sam! Give us half a moment; we'll be right out." He tugged on Merry's arm, dragging him over to the coat rack inside the entry hall.  
  
Merry frowned at Pippin, sighing as he pulled his jacket on, though he said nothing. He really had looked forward to having the afternoon alone with Pippin, but now it looked as though that wouldn't happen. Pippin grinned at him. "Don't be so glum, Meriadoc," he said, grabbing Merry's lapels and pulling him close, before planting a sound kiss on his lips.  
  
Smiling as he pulled back, Pippin turned and walked out the front door. He stood with Frodo and Sam, immediately striking up a conversation. Merry walked out also, shutting the door behind him. Soon, though, Pippin went to stand with him, taking his hand and lacing his fingers through Merry's.  
  
Frodo looked away from Sam for just a moment, and gave the pair a knowing wink. Feeling the tips of his ears go slightly red, Merry, along with the other three hobbits, started off down the path, knowing that a warm guest room was patiently waiting for him and Pippin, in the halls of Bag End. 


End file.
